Album Details

• Artist: Rodney Crowell
• Album: Sex & Gasoline
• Label: Stony Plain
• Year of Release: 2009
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: patchen on 2009-12-21

Rodney Crowell hit the big time withn 1988's "Diamonds and Dirt," which had five number one Country singles. Originally part of Emmylou Harris' Hot Band, Crowell gathers together some hot session players and producer Joe Henry for his fourth record. "Sex & Gasoline" is an acoustic, bluesy record that showcases Crowell's jaundiced but romatic lyrics (ie: "I don't mind growing old/as long as I can still laugh).

The title track, "Moving work of art," "Truth Decay,"  "I want you # 35", and "I've done everything I can" are the best songs, and all are built on the same kind of ruminative, spare country guitar, a few blues licks, some high lonesome Western strings, and  that solid, wise writing. The poignant "The night's just right" and "Forty Winters" show more regreat that the other tracks, but they still shine with that hard-won hope that makes this a great record.

There are only a few stumbles here. "The rise and fall of intelligent design" and "Funky and the Farm-Boy" ring hollow, a bit pedestrian, with perfunctory New Country grooves that are clearly beneath Crowell's level.

"Sex & Gasoline" is a hearfelt, crusty record of honest country songs. Rodney Crowell leaves a lot of his heart at the table, but seems to have more than enough to go around.

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